Episode 1

Talius and Kray continue conversation with the old fisherman on the back deck of the first house.

Slevin, the crippled, continues to yell out from the front corner of the close deck at the dim-wit at the other house, Maeriks, ordering him to quit banging and light a fire in the fire pit immediately. To no avail.

EDIT: Maeriks, continues to rattle his loud handled pan and stare at Qiu and Ivor. As Thorn approaches, Maericks switches his gaze to fix on Thorn who has reached the stairs of the second house deck.

Slevin the crippled yells out at Thorn, "Knock that fat hog on the head and get him to light a fire right there!" He points to the fire circle with benches located roughly between the two houses, but up away from the shoreline closer to the common area of the village.

Thorn slowly steps up the stairs of the second shoreline house and starts making his way around the deck platform to the back part that is built out over the water of the lake. Maeriks watches Thorn all the while.

Thorn begins to speak slowly and carefully with the big man as he continues his approach.
Previously note="Xorthan,Xorthan"]...Thorn's Insight suggests that Maeriks is sending some sort of signal by ringing the pan bell. Maeriks is exceptionally focused on Thorn and his friends, which suggests that the signal he is sending outward is some sort of warning that they have arrived. Thorn may not know all of the details about the signal system (to whom does the signal go? exactly what is the signal saying outward? how will it be interpreted? what will be the consequences?), he can only assume that the signal has worked by this time.

With that in mind, Thorn thinks that the best way to get Maeriks to stop is to convince the dim-whit that he was successful in sending the signal, but that he can stop now and that Thorn and the others mean no harm

So we'll go with Persuasion.[/note]

Maeriks is a large man, 6'3" and around 265 lbs. He wears a simple soft leather waist wrap that hangs down knee level, an open animal skin vest, and no shoes. As Thorn moves within about 15', Maeriks makes a sudden movement. He slams the handled tin pan bell to the deck and then quickly sets himself bent knees, one leg slightly forward from the other, low stance, hands open, arms outstretched slightly with elbows bent but tucked in towards the torso - - a classic ready stance for wrestling.

Thorn pauses his movement but keeps talking and keeps his hands moving slowly and visible.

"He's going to try to grapple hold of you. If he does, he will mash you up bad!" Slevin yells out at Thorn from the other deck. "You are going to need to hit him on the head and knock him down. Use the flat side of that hatchet!"

Thorn keeps eye contact with Maeriks, talking softly and making slow gestures, and refrains from shifting to a threatening or defensive stance.

Previously note="Xorthan,Xorthan"]
Thorn talks it through with the big guy in a low volume.
No need to fight. You made your signal. The ones you signaled definitely heard it, so they know we are here. You've done your part. We are not here to threaten you. You have not been instructed to fight us. We just need information on somewhere we are going. We are just passing through. And we have food. We are going to give you some supplies as presents. Good foods from the cities, sweet breads and dried venison strips, a full bag of blueberries. I am not here to fight at all. No one is planning to fight. You made your signal. That is all that you needed to do. Now you can just eat some good food that we are going to give you for helping us. We are just passing through.[/note]

Slowly big Maeriks begins to soften his stance. Thorns words seem to be getting through. Eventually he puts his hands to his side and stands up straight looking at Thorn. Thorn turns and motions him back toward the stairs. Maeriks watches briefly and then lumbers past Thorn and down the stairs, arms always held straight down at his sides. He walks in his awkward stomping manner up to the fire pit and starts stacking out wood for a fire.

Thorn turns and follows slowly down the stairs, looking all around but keeping an eye on Maeriks, and then looking back at his fellows back at the first house.

Previously note="Xorthan,Xorthan"]
Thorn is cautious as big Maeriks stomps by on the deck. As he is watching the big imbecile go past and turn down the deck stairs, Thorn catches something over to the left out of the corner of his eye. Further down the shore line, at the next house (south along the shore, opposite direction from the original house with the blind and crippled guy where everyone else is now), Thorn swears he sees movement of a humanoid figure stepping by in smooth steps towards the water, on the ground near the stilts of the house. The figure seemed to be wrapped in cloth or maybe large leaves, with a wrap mask over its head and face.


It is an unclear and fleeting image however. Just as soon as Thorn tries to focus in and gather more clarity, the figure is nowhere to be found. It as if nothing had been there at all. Extremely strange. [/note]


Back at the first house, Slevin watches the interchange and seems speechless for a time. "I thought he would have had to hit him in the head to knock him down." The crippled says rather quietly, turning to look towards Qiu and Ivor. "That fat bull would mash all of you boys up if he started wrestling against you."

The old blind fisherman converses with Talius and Kray on the back deck of the first house (most north). Though not a native of the Drakkenmire and southeast Danneinkiff, Talius is from the northeastern Dannein regions. He is generally familiar with the fisherman's deep riac (swamp) way of talking, so Talius is able to make some quick headway on information that the old-timer has to offer with a quick interchange.

The old blind fisherman's gives his name as Mac Ru. It is what Yuorics think of more as a last name, but this is often a habit of elder Danneins, shifting title back to their relation with the memory of their father when they are late in life.On Trading Supplies for Info
Danneins are blunt people. In fact most are notably bad at lying and are not known for hiding their true meaning. Mac Ru seems true to Dannein form. He knows what is going on. He is giving information. Talius and the rest of the team are out of their environment and need a lead. So this is an exchange. Mac Ru expects to be paid in good supplies, especially with bread grains and liquor, and at least a few coins or jewelry items. Gold only. Talius is equally blunt and quickly makes a deal. The price is MINIMAL, almost negligible, from the party's resource prospective.

Background About Old Island and Rutcrana's Association With It
This is an old Bat Hannoc settlement located on an island out in the large lake/heavy flood zone that stretches as far as the eye can see to the east and south. Again, for the right picture this is a lake of varying depth. Sometimes it is so shallow that there are muddy islands and also many trees that seem to be growing out of the water as the floor is only just underneath the water surface. It takes a boat or raft to get out to Old Island. Distance is a little unclear. Old-timer says "about 8 or 10 Mule Fields", a local measurement that is hard to translate. But apparently it is about a 1 hour or less paddle time. This place is where most of the Bat Hannocs of this particular area of Borgh Riac used to live up until about 70 years ago when they relocated here to Driftwood because of the old settlement's gradual erosion of ground and incremental increase in flooding problems. However, it has always been the place where Rutcranna remained. She never made the move to Driftwood to live; she would only travel across the lake to visit, speak, make demands, give prophecy, offer council, healing, cast hexes, etc. Also sometimes people who needed witchery would paddle out to Old Island to see Rutcrana. This included even the Norach and the elder councilors from time to time. Long ago the settlement on Old Island was called Clocha Lamhar, seems like a rough translation of Gem Sanctuary but the wording isn't quite direct. The lake we are referring to is called An Tulacheo, means roughly The Burial Murk.

On Investigating Old Island for Clues of Rutcrana's Fate
Mac Ru says there are some canoes he can sell, for a couple more coins.

On Recent Conflict
Most of the people (Bat Hannocs) were beaten by "the neighbors" last fall. Many men and fighting women were slain. There were also some collaborators who supported joining the neighbors. That faction spoke out and got most of the rest of the survivors to acquiesce and join with the neighbors, the last of which left during the tough and desperate winter. Defectors would paddle away across An Tulacheo under the direction and guidance of other Bat Hannoc defectors. Not sure where they went. He thinks maybe to Old Island, but maybe even further out to the hill settlements on the south shore of the lake.

On The Hive and "Getting Stronger"
One of the promises of The Neighbors is that they can somehow make everyone who joins them stronger and healthier. They have ancient powers or religion of some sort. Claim that people can be free of sickness and become empowered with great strength and fortitude. There seems to be something to it. Some of the men and boys who became devoted collaborators with The Neighbors are extraordinarily strong now. The Hive is the biggest example. This is a set of ex-Bat Hannoc warriors, hunters, and scouts who switched sides to become champions for The Neighbors. Now these guys dress up like The Neighbors do, in body wraps and sometimes in elaborate masks. They have strange abilities to move quickly around the swamp and have heightened senses. They are all very strong, often able to kill a resistor with one blow of a weapon or pick men up overhead and slam them on the ground or against trees. Mac Ru is not sure how many members of The Hive exists. Slevin thinks there are 100. Mac Ru says no way, not that many. Both Slevin and Mac Ru know several of The Hive by name. Though they are covered in masks and wraps now, they used to be Bat Hannocs of the local community here at Driftwood.

On Fingol and His Efforts to Overtake Rutcrana's Position and Prestige
Fingol is a Bat Hannoc that also practices medicine and magic. Mac Ru calls him a asarlai, means something like shaman, a male herbalist or doctor. He has always wanted people to listen to him instead of Rutcrana. Tried to get the Norach's ear for many years. He was a sure candidate to switch loyalties to The Neighbors, and he did so early on. Often spoke out against Rutcrana. Turned some against her and recruited for the neighbors. Made a show of his power last spring when he summoned a huge snake out of the lake and it slithered around the community fire and then out into the bushes to disappear. Later that night the snake killed Fingol's opponent Cedraigh who had spoken harshly against him in the council meeting. Now Fingol probably got the neighbor's to kill Rutcrana or did it himself. Mac Ru thinks it likely that Fingol probably has all of Rutcrana's magic (draichta) now at Old Island. That is a Dannein or at least Bat Hannoc idea apparently, that one magic-user can try to take over the other one's hexes as one must become stronger as another becomes weaker. Talius knows that this is a generally common idea, that there is usually only one druid, witch, shaman, medicine man, etc. in a community or region. If there are two, then there is usually a conflict between them. And there are never really more than two around one another.

On The Neighbors
This group is shrouded in mystery. They are rarely seen at all. Obviously Mac Ru has never "seen" them, but he has been around them a couple of times. Most notably, the only time they came in great number, at the fateful raid against Driftwood last fall. Slevin says they are completely wrapped in strange cloth and leaves and strange masks. They walked right up out of the swamp apparently in the middle of the night. They came out of the darkness in every direction. They are usually about 7 feet tall, lean and fast. They kill with their long spears that have thin but extremely sharp and strong barbs at the end. They make no noise and never speak. They only send messages through their collaborator mouthpieces like Fingol and the big champion Gorolach Mac Daolach, who was a great Bat Hannoc but became a monstrous enforcer for The Neighbor faction within Driftwood.
Mac Ru says that the most notable thing about The Neighbors is their terrible stench. They smell like the rot and sludge of the swamp itself. It is sickening to the old blind man.

More on the Final Raid, On Bat Hannoc Leadership and Resistance to the Neighbors, and On the Results of the Last Stand at Driftwood
Norach Onchu was swarmed by Neighbors during the autumn raid. He and his champions killed many of the Neighbors in a valiant stand in the center fire circle of Driftwood that night. But the Neighbors could not be beaten. The Norach was stabbed and beaten to within and inch of his life. He was broken and immobilized, wrapped in some sort of net, and then placed on a raft and taken out across The Burial Murk (the big lake), never seen again. The Neighbors, still in their fearsome shrouds, dragged all of the bodies of the fallen Bat Hannocs into the shallow shore of the lake. Moments later, a huge group of alligators swam up and ate all of the bodies. The alligator congregation included the great dragon known as Titan, a true monster of the riac who is known to be centuries old. It was a completely horrifying scene of shocking gore for the women, children, and elderly survivors.
Many of The Neighbors paddled off in rafts that night. Others walked away into the darkness of the forest. Those Neighbors on the rafts carried away many captives, mostly women and young girls. They killed many youth males and even boy toddlers before departing as well.
Note: much of this account is given by Slevin. Mac Ru did not see all of this. Blindness obviously, but also he was stabbed in the neck and stomach and almost bled to death. An old woman named Biel (who later left to join The Neighbors during the winter) kept Mac Ru alive by dragging him into the bushes to hide, applying bandaging and pressure dressings that barely saved him. Slevin was knocked from his cart, off of this deck they are on now, and into the water during the event. He swam up to land just as alligators were approaching to feast on the bodies of the dead. He saw Titan approaching off in the distance and saw the monster swallow bodies of great men in single chomps.

Mac Ru has his fish buckets and fish cleaning tools ready. He says he and Slevin are going to shift over to the prep tables and the fire now to cook. He wants to get paid his full fee and he can point out where the boats are if the group needs them.

Over the course of the conversation, Thorn has returned from the other house and has come up onto the first house deck to join Talius, Kray, Mac Ru, and Slevin. Thorn is able to listen in on the later part of the conversation, the greater detail recount of the fateful raid by The Neighbors on Driftwood.

When Slevin hears Thorn's question and the suggestion that one of The Neighbors was seen, the crippled looks around the village from the deck and then back at Thorn, "Where did you see one? Was he really tall, taller than a man? Or was he regular size? I bet it was Rigin. I told you," Slevin looks over at Mac Ru and directs comments at the old man, "I told you he was creeping around here again. Maeriks, fat lard, talking to him too I bet. Maeriks! I told you you better not be talking to Rigin or Cealwin! You dirty hog! I should stick you like the dumb pig you are!" Slevin starts rolling his cart to the stairs, yelling out towards Maeriks all the while. The big imbecile is about 30 meters away down at the fire pit, working diligently and silently starting a fire and getting the cauldron tripod set up in position to the side.

"If you saw a man wrapped up in sacks and cloth, it could be a collaborator somewhere about, so keep on watch. I also suggest you be careful what you say if you want to keep your business private. That talk of the witch might do you in if the wrong ears hear it." Mac Ru says to the crowd as he walks towards the stair at the front of the house, carrying two buckets of fish and some cleaning/gutting tools in a bag over his shoulder. "There are no Neighbors here in Driftwood. I can assure you that. If there were, I would be fighting the urge to wretch from their rancid stench."

Mac Ru walks down the stairs with ease, though his hands are full. Slevin stops at the edge of the deck, lowers his cart by hand, and then uses his arms to lower himself over the side and then back into the cart on the muddy ground. His cart wheels gum up and drag a bit in the mud as he pulls himself along, his hands also becoming muddy as he gropes along the ground, digging his fingers into the ground and grass tufts for handholds. The two handicapped Danneins make their way to the cook fire circle, away from the water towards the center common area of the village.

"Ha! You wishing to run up on one of The Neighbors?! You don't understand much" Slevin says with a scoff as he rolls past Ivor. "You not the only one that carries around a gigger pole, boy. They got theirs that would gig you like a longleg frog real quick. They are way bigger than you, plus faster and stronger. You would wind up like a fat frog, stuck on a stick, and then fed to Titan there at the waterline. Ha!"